Wednesday, December 13

A Piano Should Fall on His Head

It’s been a while since I’ve given out one of my pianos, not because there are fewer assholes in the world, but because I’ve been too busy to bother with them. However, the following little tidbit caught my eye this morning, and when I read about the pastor in question, my first thought was, “a piano should fall on his head.”

It seems that the Reverend Vincent Fields, pastor of Greater Works Ministries in Absecon, New Jersey, used his invocation yesterday morning before the start of New Jersey’s Senate session to engage in some good old fashioned gay bashing. “We curse the spirit that would come to bring about same-sex marriage,” Fields prayed as the senators bowed their heads.

Last week, the New Jersey legislature chose to draft a civil unions bill for same-sex couples in response to an October decision by the state’s highest court, which held that same-sex couples cannot be denied marriage rights. In its decision the court stipulated, however, that it was up to the legislature whether to call the unions “marriages” or something else. The legislature chose something else.

Notwithstanding the New Jersey legislature’s decision to forego same-sex marriage, Reverend Fields felt the need to call upon his wrathful god to curse “the spirit” of same-sex marriage. What spirit is that, exactly? The spirit of tolerance? The spirit of equality? The spirit of inclusion? The spirit of justice? It seems to me that these are the very principles for which (the Historical) Jesus stood.

If the spirit of Jesus can be said to exist today, it is to be found in movements for social justice, just like the movement for equal marriage. If Fields curses that spirit, then he is cursing the spirit of Jesus. I guess that would make him the anti-Christ.

More importantly, I wonder why Fields felt it was appropriate to use an invocation to endorse his own particular brand of religious bigotry. In case you were wondering, that was a rhetorical question to which I already know the answer. The answer is that fundamentalists like Fields have no sense of propriety when it comes to politics. They mix politics and religion like Ted Haggard mixed gay sexcapades and crystal meth.

Reverend Fields is free to invoke from his hellish pulpit a curse upon whatever spirit deemed the enemy du jour by his blackened, hate-filled heart. What he may not do, however, is take advantage of an invitation to make what was supposed to be a non-sectarian invocation in order to champion his personal religious views within the halls of government.

Another piano should fall on the head of whatever imbecile invited Fields to make the invocation in the first place. Perhaps it’s time to rethink the whole invocation before a legislative session thing, no?

6 Comments:

Let's start with the fact that in a nation that has separated church from state for extremely valid reasons, there should be no religious leader up on the rostrum in any of our state or national legislatures.

However even IF one is brought in, it's an outrage that he/she use that rostrum to comment one way or the other on any piece of business that's about to come before that legislature.

The only possible value to the inappropriate comment by the "reverend" is that some right-thinking senators who were on the fence might be offended at the blatant politicing and decide to vote FOR gay marriage as a totally justified protest.

Amd no, a piano should not fall on his head; particularly given his profession, a full pipe organ should fall.

more appropriate to Mr. Fields' proclivities, i think,would be one of those tacky electric organs that sound as if they should be in an ice-skating rink venue instead of those new-fangled churches. i wouldn't want to sully a grand instrument as a pipe organ with the blood of the likes of him.

Hi I like your blog and wanted to add something to the story about Reverend Vincent Fields of Greater Works Ministries in Absecon. During the week he runs a company called Upper Scale Contracting in Pleasantville, NJ (New Jersey) 08232, Phone: (609) 407-2877, this was sited in Wed. 12/13/06 Star Ledger article. Just thought peopple should know if and when they are condering hiring a company if that company is run by a homophobe.

Vincent Fields is a crook and took our money during a recent home addition. Not to mention he hired ex-cons and drug addicts to do a half-assed job. Had to hire people to clean up his work. DO NOT go with Upper Scale Contracting. There is nothing Upper Scale about this man.

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